Thanksgiving week is here/weigh-in!

Back to back posts, that is serious.

So I missed last week's weigh-in but I weighed at home and figured I was up about .6 so that put me at 178.

This week I weighed in at 177.8 so that is technically down .2 even though it's a gain on my sticker in my book!

John's birthday is today and last night we went to Ceviche with a bunch of friends. It was really good and fun! Daniella and I made a pact not to go crazy with eating and we did pretty good.

I had to estimate but I think I'm safe saying I used 17 points, plus we danced later at Czar!

Assuming my points calculations are correct, I have 30 WAP remaining. My goal is to earn 11 AP by Thursday too.

I don't love Thanksgiving foods so there is no reason for me to go crazy. We are going to be at my parents house and my mom is a WW member so that helps a lot. I may even make a baked potato for myself as a side so I can avoid higher point sides. :)

I decided to skip the Turkey Trot and save the $60 to sign John and myself up. I'll do a 3 mile run Thursday morning on my own.

There is one more challenge this week! On Tuesday at work we are going to my boss' house at 3 for a "Thanksgiving Fiesta." Crap. I'm bringing ground turkey breast and I think I'll also bring a bag of salad so I can eat it as a salad and skip taco shells etc.

I have to be strong if I want to wear my dress in NYC! I tried it on yesterday and it was closer but still tight.

In other news, I've decided to do a 9-day cleanse. I know, I know...sort of goes against my general attitude regarding weight-loss but with the success I've had with my acupuncturist for pain I trust her that this cleanse will be good for my body (IBS, overall health) as well as help get a few pounds off.

I will keep a detailed story of the 9 days (starting the day after Thanksgiving) and post it after. Hey, maybe I'll find it was legit and recommend it or maybe I'll find I was an idiot. Either way, I'm taking the chance...

Hope everyone has a great week!

Founder's Day 10k 11/14/10 (and other updates)

Let's start first with the "other updates" portion of this post. I missed my meeting this week since I was out of town. I think I was up .6 based on what my at home scale said.

Other than that I guess I have no other updates. Just trucking along...NYC in 23 days! :)

Founder's Day 10k 11/14/10

Official chip time: 1:19:46

So on Sunday morning I got up bright and early at 5:15 a.m. I got ready for the race and ate breakfast. I usually do toast with PB and banana but I did toast with a slice of cheese and ham which I will later question if this was a good call...

I met up with Jen in the parking lot to get my race packet and we headed over to the bathrooms and the start. We stretched some and tried to take a picture but this guy bumped into us...

We got to the start line and the horn sounded and we were off. The first two miles were easy. In fact, we kept a decent 12-12:30 pace up until mile 3.

Early on around mile 1 we saw Kitzzy but she was going a little too fast for us but we ran with her for a little bit.

Around mile 2 I started getting a side stitch that would not go away. I had it the entire race and it sucked.

Right before mile 5 we saw John and Josh waiting for us (snapping photos)!

They ran along with us for a bit. A little after mile 5 Jen started pulling away from me. My legs were feeling heavy and my side stitch was aching. I started to feel defeated but kept trucking along.

I think this race was just one of those ones where I was feeling off. The 10k I did in October I felt way better the entire race.

Between the side stitch, less training due to knee issues and a stressful Saturday the day before I just think my body was protesting a bit.

As I rounded the last bend I saw that I wasn't going to PR (although I was close) so I didn't sprint at the end. I figured why risk aggravating my knees if I wasn't going to PR?

I finished 26 seconds slower than I did last month. Now, I went into this race expecting a slower finish due to the knee set backs. Yet I guess seeing that small difference pissed me off and I was in a bad mood.

I realize now that I did my best and I'm proud of myself.

The good news is that my knees felt fine the entire race!

I think I am going to skip the Disney Princess Half and focus on speed work. I want to shave time off my 10k distance. I'm also going to do the Gasparilla 15k instead.

Lots to think about!

Sorry this post was late! It's been a draft for a week, busy week at work!

"Hi it's me, I'm bored again..."

Okay, I'm not really bored, but I wanted to make a quick post.

So far this week is going pretty well. I have 20 WAP remaining and by Saturday should have earned 10-11 AP.

Tomorrow I am going to attempt a long run. I am going to go four miles minimum but push for five. Keeping my knees in mind I won't over do it if I feel pain.

I am not that worried about the 10k on Saturday. I know I'll get though it even if I don't get a PR. Although a PR would be a nice surprise!

The weather for Sunday says it will be a high of 80 and a low of 54. The previous nights low is 56 so I'm thinking at 7:30 a.m. it will be really nice for the race!

There are only two water stops on the course so I may try and carry a bottle with me but I haven't decided yet.

I'm excited to do the race, running is hard but rewarding and I love the feeling of finishing a race. Part of me is still contemplating the Disney Princess Half but with the knee issues I may just do the Gasparilla 15k that weekend.

I'll leave you with some canoe photos from the weekend!

I love this time of year!

We are getting a cold front in Florida this weekend! When I left for my WW meeting this morning it was 50 degrees! May sound like nothing to some of you but for us it's thrilling.

I weighed myself this morning when I got up and my scale kept giving me different weights. It usually doesn't do that so I was annoyed. I figured I'd go because I've been the past four weeks and it's a good habit to get into (meeting attendance) and next week I'll possibly miss my meeting because I'm headed to Orlando. I'll also miss my meeting Thanksgiving weekend but I may weigh-in at a different location.

So anyway, I weighed-in and I was down .6! Yay! To be honest I didn't do that great this week. I didn't do terrible but if I can really focus this week I have no doubt I can be down 2-3 lbs.

I am still aiming to get as close to 165 as I can for NYC so with a little over a month left I need to be 100 percent focused.

Next Sunday is the Founder's Day 10k. I am going to try my best and may try and run with Jen and Kitzzy but I'll run my own race and see how my knees feel. :) I hope the weather is nice!

Well I need to run and do my hair before I go out for the day.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Halloweek!

Last week was a fun week getting ready for Halloween festivities and such.

Friday night was John and I's three year anniversary of dating. We celebrated by going to Seasons 52 for dinner. I did pretty good but still had a bit of sodium and ended up having two of the chocolate covered strawberries that I got him so I was worried about weigh-in on Saturday.

I woke up around 8:30 a.m. to pee Saturday morning and figured I'd check my weight. I looked like I'd be down a pound so I got ready for my meeting and was stoked.

I got to the meeting and ended up being down .4 this week. Hey, I'll take it. A half pound is fine with me for the morning after a celebration.

This weekend on the other hand got a little crazy with points. It's not like I hate a boat load of candy (in fact, I hardly had any) but I just went over points here and there. I think I have 10 WAP left for the week and I refuse to use anymore. My goal is to earn between 10-13 AP.

Auntie Flo came to visit Sunday so right now I feel bloated and crappy but I'm hoping by Saturday to at least be down another half pound.

I have 10 lbs I want to lose in 5 weeks. I need to really commit if I want to get this last bit off before our trip. I will do it or at least get damn close trying.

I have another 10k coming up on the 14th so since my knees are feeling better I am going go try and amp up my running again this week and next. The longest run I'll get to if I'm lucky will be 5 but if I can run 5 I can get though 6. I don't expect to beat my previous 10k time.

I'll leave you with my Mad Men costume. I'm the second from the left in the purple.

Photo credit: www.felixkunze.com

Quickie/sleepy!

I didn't get a chance to post this weekend. It was a busy yet fun weekend. Saturday we ran errands and got sushi for dinner. I wasn't feeling great in general so we took it easy that night.

Sunday we went to Big Cat Rescue which is a really great place and you should check it out!

So back to Saturday, I went to my WW meeting and I was down 1 pound which brought me back even after the 1 pound gain the week prior.

My goal this week is to lose 3lbs. I know it's asking for a lot and since I've already used 15 WAP it's going to a lot of discipline the rest of this week.

Today I went to the gym after work to attempt at 4 mile run. I stopped at 2 miles because my knees started hurting and I don't want to push it since I shouldn't be running at all.

That being said, I might not be able to do the 10k. :( It's three weeks away so we'll see but my knees are still giving me problems and I need to work on strengthener my legs and not pushing my luck with trucking though a 10k. So we shall see...

Well I gotta run. Want to fold some clothes before bed and have time to relax.

I'll check back in Sunday since Saturday will be busy with Halloween festivities!

Weigh-in/Another 10k

So this past week my weight has been fluctuating a lot. Overall it was down but I'm thinking the fact Aunt Flo is here was causing a lot of changes.

I woke up early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep so I decided to go to the 8:30 a.m. meeting.

I was down 3.6! Wow. I feel great! I think the 10k last Saturday helped and I also snacked a lot less this week but I ate most of my WAP. I also just noticed I lost a point. Yay! It's a good thing. Heh.

I can't let this get away from me. I have to do good this week and keep the momentum going forward. I officially have 13.4 lbs to lose for my NYC goal which is 8 and a half weeks away. I can do it! It will take hard work!

Yesterday I had a pretty bad day, I won't get into the details but luckily it turned around when I got home. I took a nap and then around 7 p.m. John and I went to Whole Foods to get a bite to eat for dinner. I had a little salad and two bites of his pizza.

Then we went to the new Nordstroms Rack that opened by us which is amazing. It's a discounted Nordstroms with items 30-70% off.

I found my dress for Halloween! I'm going to be a take on Joan Holloway from Mad Men. I got a great Calvin Klein dress for $40 (originally $130!). I also got a pair of really awesome shoes for 50% off.

So much win. This place can be dangerous for my bank account though so I must watch it!

John also got pants, a tie and cuff links for his costume which is a take on Don Draper from Mad Men. :)

I'm trying to think of where we should go for dinner tonight. We always eat out Saturdays. I want sushi but I can't go crazy with points so it might be a bad idea. Hmm.

We are just going to relax and run some errands today.

Tomorrow we are going for a bike/run (either in the morning or early evening) and I'm going to meet Daniella for lunch and another trip to Nordstroms Rack so she can check it out. :)

Oh! I ordered this dress the other day as a night out dress for our trip (obviously, will need tights and a a big jacket!) to NYC. I am hoping it fits good. Now it has some reviews and they're all good so I'm happy!

Okay, last but not least! I signed up for the Founder's Day 10k on November 14th. I'm hoping to improve my time buy a few minutes! I'm excited to have another race to keep me focused on my running. :)

Race for the Cure 10k!

So the day has come and gone! I complete the 10k I've been training for over the past 12 weeks!

The 10k started at 7:30 a.m. We set the alarm for 5:30 a.m. and I was tired! We left the house around 6 and it's good we did because it turned out we were in a rush for me to get to the start line.

For breakfast before the race I had a bagel thin with some almond butter and half a banana with some water.

We got to downtown St. Petersburg and parked. There was already some traffic but not too bad since the 5k started later. We ran into a Starbucks to use the bathroom. We had to walk a bit to get to the race start and I wanted to pee one more time and the lines for the port-o-potties were crazy. Luckily we made it and I got in line for the race. The 10k wasn't that packed so the pace markers were sort of irrelevant and I hung in the middle.

I made sure to use Body Glide to avoid chaffing from my ipod band, watch, knee sleeves and shorts! (Works like a charm! I was fine!)

The race started a little late (around 7:40 a.m.) so my nerves started to get to me as I waited in the crowd alone. I kept thinking how I might now be able to do it, how far it was, etc. Then I told my negative thoughts to STOP and I agreed to enjoy the view and enjoy the run for myself as much as I could.

Let's re-cap mile by mile!

Start to Mile 1: I was feeling good and wanted to keep a good pace but nothing too fast because I didn't want to burn out. The first mile went down a street and up and around the St. Pete pier. It was a nice part of the course right on the water. As I was coming up the stretch to the pier I saw my friend Mary coming down the other side on the way back (she is a long-time runner and speedy! She finished in 45 min.) We waved and I kept going. I got to mile one pretty quickly (around 11:45 min) and was feeling good. I took a cup of water and kept going!

Mile 1 to Mile 2: As I came off the pier loop I looked up and I saw John! He was doing the 5k and 8:15 a.m. and happened to see the 10k group and waited to see me!

Mile 1 to 2 seemed a lot longer. I tried not think much about it and seemed to be maintaining a 12 min/mile. I got some more water and went going on!


Mile 2 to 3: This mile went pretty fast for me. Nothing stands out about it really. Other than the fact I turned onto the second extra round abount for the 10k. Based on the map I knew it was going to be long. I reached mile 3 shortly after I turned onto that road and thought, "5k!" half-way there! At this point it started getting pretty warm. Earlier it was cool but this is when I started to notice the heat. Yuck!

Mile 3 to 4: I never thought I'd get to mile 4. I was going up a side street for what seemed forever waiting to get to the turn around point. I was hot and really wanted some more water. At this point I was hanging around the same women. Some were faster but would stop to walk and fall back to where I was. I decided to keep up with one lady who was consistently ahead of me even with her walking breaks.

Mile 4 to 5: This mile seemed a lot shorter and I got two cups of water at mile 4. I needed it! At one point I debated walking for a minute the second I slowed down my knees felt like hell. They felt okay running but the walking made them feel tight as anything! So I kept running. Shortly after the mile 4 mark the 10k course merged in with the 5k. It kind of sucked because the crowd got big and that meant some weaving around people. Luckily that point of the 5k group were still runners so I didn't have to weave in and out that much. When I hit mile 5 I felt really emotional. I realized I had one mile to go (and change)! My accomplishment was hitting me at this point and I felt like crying but I didn't. Right around that time my Glee version of I'm A Slave 4 U came on and I said to myself "Let's do this!" and I picked my pace! I wish I had my split times because I know mile 5 was a fast one for me. It had to be though because mile 4 was my slowest (I think).

Mile 5 to 6: A little past the mile 5 marker I checked my watch and I had 15 minutes to meet my goal time of 1:20. I thought I CAN DO THIS but I knew I couldn't slow down. I started getting some pretty annoying side stitches (I'm assuming because of my picked up pace) but I kept telling myself that I was almost done and to push through it! I kept checking my watch and thinking "Where is the finish line?!" I started to worry I'd just miss my goal time and It'd annoy me but I tried to tell myself no matter what happened it was okay and I was doing my best. I finally rounded a corner and saw the mile 6 sign! I picked it up and despite my side stich kept trucking!

Mile 6 to 6.2: I kept running and finally saw the finish line in view! The clock read just over 1:19 and I booked it! It was tough because the area was more crowded with all the 5k finishers so I had to do a bit of weaving but I crossed the mat at the clock time of 1:19:48!!!! That means my chip time was even less! *JUST IN* My official chip time is 1:19:20.

I AM SO HAPPY! When I crossed I felt like I was in a daze. I finished my first 10k and beat my goal time! I maintained around a 12:30 min/mile overall.

I stretched and roamed around a little before I met John at our meeting place.

At first I thought my knees were okay but they became super tight and achy fast. I do think the knee sleeves helped though.

John and I came home, showered and felt beat! We rested for a bit and then had a nice lunch at Seasons 52. We were so sleepy and had time to kill so we napped in the car for 20 min. after lunch. Heh.

At 2 John got his hair cut and I got a pedicure! It was a nice treat after a long run. I got a pretty bronze-orange color for October/Halloween!

After that we came home and napped until 6! Then we ordered Domino's Pizza to be delivered. I got a thin crust with light cheese (and I've learned this means a tiny sprinkle) which is fine with me! I ate half of my medium pizza. I was famished!

I ate all of my 7 activity points I earned today but the race made me hungry!

Tonight we are just relaxing! My legs are so tired!

Okay, time to go relax more! Thanks to everyone who wished me luck and for the support.

Pre-10k post!

The 10k is tomorrow morning! I can't believe it's here. I started my training plan three months ago! Time sure does fly and once again teaches me that if I want to do something I might as well do it now because time won't wait on me!

On that notion, it's time to kick it into gear with my weight-loss and getting to my goal. Speaking of getting into the fit groove, John has his 10 year H.S. reunion in two weeks and we wants to try and lose a little weight. So for the next two weeks we are going to work hard and continue it on! I told him he can lose 5lbs in a week if he tries really hard, damn you men! He only has maybe 10-15 to lose max.

Back to the 10k...

Here is the little print out of my training plan at my desk at work. I highlight all my completed days. You'll notice there aren't too many skipped days (white). I'm really proud of how well I did!

My furthest distance to date is 5.75 miles. I know I have it in me to hit that 6.2 mile mark. :)

My gear for tomorrow is the following: new tank top, shorts (wearing body glide!), my standard socks and shoes, knee sleeves, my iPod nano on my armband and visor!

There are five water stops on the 10k course which is awesome. I think I will walk though the water stops to drink the water if I start to feel tired.

The temperature tomorrow is going to be between 71 and 75 degrees. YAY! Florida just got a little cool front and the timing is perfect!

The 10k starts at 7:30 a.m. My goal is to finish in 1:20. I don't know if that's realistic but it's what I'm going for!

John is running the 5k and it starts at 8:15 a.m. I figure if it takes him an hour to finish we'll finish around the same time.

John, Jen and I have to get to Vinoy Park early (I'm thinking 6:45 a.m.) to park, figure out a meeting place since we'll all lose each other during the race, and use the restrooms.

I am excited but also nervous I won't do good or I'll burn out!

My thoughts are that I'll try my best to cruise and enjoy the first 3 miles. I know I can handle that. Then I'll focus on getting to the mile 4 sign. I know I can get to mile 4. From there I know I'll be starting to feel it but I will do my best to truck though to mile 5. If I can get to mile 5 I know I'll be able to get to mile 6 and then the finish line will be minutes away!

I have to make a new play list tonight!

I leave you with the cookies I made for a bake sale at work today to raise money for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer! Pumpkin Oatmeal Cranberry cookies! I decided to participate since the race tomorrow is Race for the Cure and it's a great cause.

Wish me luck!

Lots to talk about...

So this last week went well as far as my 10k training was concerned. At this point I'm deviating from the plan to accommodate my knees but I'm still getting the proper amount of activity in.

I had my long run on Thursday and wanted to go 5.75 miles but I stopped at 5.25 because my knees were feeling really tight. I know I had it in me to go the full distance but I didn't want to risk injury so I cut it short.

Friday I went to the doctor. He thinks what I have is patella femoral syndrome and suggested that I get knee sleeves to wear while running, do ice massage after running and go to about three physical therapy sessions to learn some stretches/strengthening moves. Tomorrow I'm going to Sports Authority and see if I can find some knee sleeves.

Today we got up early and head to Orlando to go to Universal with our friends Sean and Claire. I missed my WW meeting but weighed myself at home. It appears I was only down .4.

I felt really sad because last week I was determined to have a good loss. I did okay this week but yesterday we had a team building and I ate some bad things, albeit not a lot, but honestly they probably added up to a lot of points.

Today I ended up using 10 of my 35 WAP from being out which isn't that bad.

My challenge for this week is to myself is to stay in my daily points the rest of the week. I have no long runs this week. I'm doing 3 miles max to rest my knees. I'd like to not use any activity but we'll see how it goes.

I can't weigh-in Saturday next weekend because of the 10k but I am going to go to the 1 p.m. meeting on Sunday. I am hoping to be down 3lbs this week.

Another thing is that for almost three months I've been on a new birth control which I think may be a small part of the problem. I have felt hungrier but I don't think I'm retaining water so who knows? I think I'll finish out this third month and stop it since the reason I started was to help with an issue and I don't think it's working.

So in about 2 months and 1 week we go to NYC and I can't wait. I wanted to be as close to goal as I can.

Right now my goal is to get back to 165 for the trip. That means losing 15lbs in a little over 2 months. I can do it.

John and I's 3-year-anniversary is October 29th and we are going to keep it low-key and get dinner at Seasons 52. Since that is about one month away I am hoping to be down about 7-10lbs.

My plan for reaching actual goal weight is going to be before my 26th birthday in April 2011. I don't want to rush myself too much and make unrealistic expectations.

I've also decided my goal weight is going to be 145.

When I first started WW my goal weight was 135. Once I got to my lowest of 150 and struggled a lot at that point I decided 135 was too low and would be too hard to maintain and I wouldn't be happy. So I upped it to 140.

I am going to make it 145 for now and after maintaining to achieve lifetime at WW I'll address if I'd like to get closer to 140.

OMG this is long and hardly anyone reads. Oh well.

Workout plan for my FINAL week before the 10k!

Saturday(today): got some activity walking at theme park :)
Sunday: 30 Day Shred Level 2
Monday: 3-4 mile run
Tuesday: kickboxing
Wednesday: 3 mile run
Thursday: rest
Friday: rest
Saturday: 10k!!!!!! I can't wait! :)

Finally, here is a picture of Claire and I today. :)

10k - It's on!

Last night John paid for us to sign-up for the Race for the Cure! I am doing the competitive 10k and he's doing the non-competitive 5k.

Sunday I'll be done with week one of my training plan. Going good so far. I'm sore but I feel good!

You can donate at my donation page to here to help put an end to cancer!

http://rfcfcs.convio.net/site/TR/Race/General?px=1014261&pg=personal&fr_id=1030